Noiseproofed labeling machine

ABSTRACT

In a labeling machine comprising a machine frame (1), a turret (2) in said frame, a concentrically disposed gear (12) carried by said turret for rotation of said turret, a plurality of turntables (3) carried by said turret, a drive (8,9) mounted in the machine frame, a pinion (10) driven by said drive and driving said concentrically disposed gear and turret, an infeed starwheel (4) and an outfeed starwheel (7) each meshing (13,14) with the concentrically disposed gear, and a labeling station (6) driven by a pinion (15) meshing with the turret gear, the improvement which comprises providing each gear (13,14) of the infeed and outfeed starwheels (4,7), of each pinion (10,15) of the drive (8,9) and of the labeling station (6), and any further pinions (18,20) meshing with the gear (12) of the turret (2) and driving, in synchronism with the turret (2), other mechanisms mounted in the machine frame, with a hub (42) a toothed ring (43) and a damping element (41,47-52) between each hub and toothed ring so as to isolate said hub and said toothed ring from each other with respect to solid-borne sound.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a labeling machine comprising a machine frameand, rotatably mounted therein, a turret which carries a plurality ofturntables, and in particular cam-controlled turntables, and comprises aconcentrically disposed gear driven by a pinion of a drive mounted inthe machine frame; an infeed starwheel and an outfeed starwheel, each ofwhich meshes through a concentrically disposed gear with the turretgear; and a labeling station which is driven by a pinion meshing withthe turret gear.

A labeling machine of this type transmits noise from many sourcesthrough the machine frame. This noise increases with the productionrate. Noise-abatement ordinances have long required that appropriatenoise-reduction techniques be employed with machines of all kinds. Oneway of reducing such noise is to machine meshing gears to closetolerances. Now this entails higher costs, especially in the case oflarge-diameter gears such as the turret gear, which has a diameter ofabout 150 cm. Secondary measures such as encapsulation of anoise-radiating machine have gained acceptance only where access to themachine is rarely required while it is in operation. Such an approachwould not be suited for a labeling machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention has as its object to provide a labeling machine whosenoise level is much lower than that of conventional labeling machines.

In accordance with the invention, this object is accomplished byproviding a damping element between the hub and the toothed ring of eachgear of the infeed and outfeed star-wheels, of each pinion of the driveand of the labeling station, and of any further pinions meshing with theturret gear and driving, in synchronism with the turret, othermechanisms mounted on the machine frame, such as a tacho generator,spacer worm, etc., in order to isolate the hub and the toothed ring fromeach other with respect to solid-borne sound.

The measures in accordance with the invention are primary measuresdesigned to suppress the generation of solid-borne, or structurallytransmitted, sound. They are cheaper to implement and interfere lesswith the operation of the machine than secondary measures (such asencapsulation of the machine) and have the further advantage ofcompensating for the tolerances of meshing gears or cam mechanisms andprotecting the drives against shock loads in starting and stopping themachine.

In principle, isolation with respect to solid-borne sound might beprovided through a damping element also in the gear of the turret.However, it has been found that incorporating such measures in the gearsmeshing with the turret gear is sufficient since they compensate for theproduction tolerances of the meshing gears, which is what accounts forthe noise.

When the turret is equipped with cam-controlled turntables whichindividually engage, through a lever arm, a groove in a stationary cammember, an appropriate primary measure applicable to the cam groove andlever arm as a source of noise might be to support the cam member onsupports provided with damping elements, with the latter isolating thepart of the supports fixed to the machine frame from the part of thesupports secured to the cam member, with respect to solid-borne sound,and to have the lever arm guided in the cam groove through a roller or apair of rollers, each roller then being provided with a damping memberbetween its hub and its shell in order to isolate these two parts fromeach other with respect to solid-borne sound.

While in the case of the turret the meshing gears are exposed and wouldradiate sound if the measures described were not adopted, in thelabeling station the points of contact of gears and cam mechanisms areusually housed in a closed transmission case with oil-bath lubrication.And since the meshing gears there are very much smaller than the gear ofthe turret or of the infeed and outfeed starwheels, they can be machinedwith high precision. The labeling station therefore accounts for but asmall fraction of the structurally transmitted sound, and there is noneed to provide damping at all points of contact. When the labelingmachine comprises pickup members which are rotatably mounted on acarrier driven by the pinion and which are provided with lever armscarrying rollers, or with planet gears, and the lever arms engage agroove in a stationary cam member or the planet gear meshes with astationary toothed member, the source of noise constituted by leverarm/cam groove or planet gear/teeth may be isolated by mounting themember provided with a groove or with teeth on the machine frame solelythrough a damping element which introduces a discontinuity in thestructural transmission path between said member and the machine frame.In addition to this isolation on one side, there is provided on theother side a damping element between the hub and the toothed ring or theshell of the roller of the lever arm to isolate them from each otherwith respect to solid-borne sound.

When the infeed starwheel is proceded by a spacer worm which comprises adrive shaft mounted in the machine frame and provided with a pinion or asprocket wheel that is driven by the pinion meshing with the turretgear, a further source of noise is present. This can be isolated fromthe machine frame by providing the pinion or sprocket wheel with adamping element between the hub and the toothed ring or sprocket ring toisolate these two parts from each other with respect to solid-bornesound.

The damping element in the gears, pinions, sprocket wheels, rollers orthe like preferably has the basic form of a sleeve which constitutes thesole connecting member between hub and toothed ring, sprocket ring orshell, respectively. Since bonding the two parts together usually is notsufficient for the transmission of torques, there are provided, inaccordance with one feature of the invention, axially extendingenlargements or constrictions at one or more points staggered along thecircumference. Thus interlocked, the parts are capable of transmittingthe torques.

The damping element disposed between the parts of the supports, orbetween the labeling-station member provided with a toothed ring or acam groove and the machine frame, has the basic form of a disk, and moreparticularly of an annular disk, which constitutes the sole connectingmember between the parts of the supports or between said member and themachine frame. To increase the rigidity of the damping element in theplane of the disk, annular grooves may be provided in the facing sidesof the parts to be joined together. This may be done also in the case ofthe gears, pinions, sprocket wheels or rollers, respectively, toincrease their axial rigidity.

Since in the case of rotating parts such as pinions, gears or rollersand the associated stationary gears and cams with which said pinions,gears or rollers are in contact maximum precision and freedom frombacklash or play, respectively, between the two parts in contact are arequirement and this requirement is difficult to satisfy with resilientdamping elements, the space between the two components to be joinedtogether is, in accordance with one feature of the invention, filledwith a material which passes from a castable state to a resilient statewith shrinkage, the inner walls bounding said space having beveledregions so that the material while shrinking is pulled against saidbeveled regions centered, in the manner of a chucking cone or wedge.With this feature of the invention, the material acts on the principleof a rivet with two heads which are pulled against the beveled edges ofthe two parts and which will center the two parts even when the shank ofthe rivet is not in contact with the walls of the bore in the two parts.Thus, in the invention the shrinkage of the material connecting the twoparts, which normally would have an adverse effect on the alignment oftwo parts being joined, is taken advantage of to effect centering. Adamping element of this type can readily be produced and provides thedesired freedom from backlash or play as well as tolerance compensation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference tothe accompanying drawing which illustrates an embodiment and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a labeling machine;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the drive of the labeling machine of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation and fragmentary axial section of the lowerpart of the turret of the labeling machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is one-half of an axial section through the upper part of theturret of the labeling machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a pinion from the drive of the labelingmachine;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a support for the cam plate of the turretshown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an axial section through the support of FIG. 6, taken alongthe line I--I in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of and fragmentary axial section through thelower part of the infeed or outfeed starwheel of the labeling machine ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the gear of the infeed or outfeed starwheelof FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a section through the gear of FIG. 9, taken along the lineII--II in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation of and fragmentary axial section through thedrive of the spacer worm;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the combined pinion and sprocket wheel ofthe drive of the spacer worm of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the sprocket wheel of the drive of thespacer worm of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the pinion for a tacho generator for alabeling machine according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is an axial section through the pinion of FIG. 14, taken alongthe line V--V in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a side elevation of and fragmentary axial section through thedrive of the labeling station of the labeling machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 is a top plan view of the drive pinion of the labeling stationof FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is an axial section through the drive pinion of FIG. 17, takenalong the line VI--VI in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a portion of a labeling station, shown in an axial sectionthrough the labeling machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 20 is a top plan view of a toothed or sprocket ring of the labelingstation of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is an axial section through the ring of FIG. 20, taken along theline VII--VII in FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a top plan view of a roller for a lever arm of the turntablesof the turret according to FIG. 4 or for the planet gears of the pickupmembers of the labeling station of FIG. 19; and

FIG. 23 is an axial section through the roller of FIG. 22, taken alongthe line VIII--VIII in FIG. 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The labeing machine shown in FIG. 1 comprises a machine frame 1, aturret 2with a plurality of cam-controlled turntables 3, an infeedstarwheel 4 preceded by a spacer worm 5, a labeling station 6, and anoutfeed starwheel 7. Turret 2, infeed starwheel 4, spacer worm 5,labeling station6, and outfeed starwheel 7 are mounted in the machineframe 1. The drive consists of an electric motor 8 with a gear box 9. Adrive pinion 10 of the drive 8 and 9 drives a large gear 12 mounted on ashaft 11 of the turret 2. Said gear 12 drives, directly or indirectly,other mechanisms ofthe labeling machine which must be driven insynchronism therewith. Directly in mesh with the gear 12 are a gear 13of the infeed starwheel 4 and a gear 14 of the outfeed starwheel 7 aswell as a pinion 15 for the labeling station. The pinion 15 is connectedto a drive wheel 17 of the labeling station 6 through a cogged belt 16.The gear 13 of the infeed starwheel 4 is in mesh with a pinion 18 of alarger gear or sprocket wheel19 and with a pinion 20 which through achain 21 is connected to a sprocketwheel 22 of a drive shaft for thespacer worm 5. As the turret 2 revolves, the turntables 3 on said turretare angularly displaced in confirmity withthe pattern of a cam groove 24by a lever arm 23 which is guided in said groove 24, disposed in aplatelike cam member 25. The lever arm 23 carriesa pair of rollers 26 ascam followers. The cam member 25 is supported on the machine frame 1 bymeans of a plurality of supports 27.

The labeling station 6 is provided on a revolving carrier 28 with aplurality of rotating pickup members 29 which after being glue-coated ataglue roll 30 pick up a label from a stack 31 of labels and transfer itto agripper cylinder 32 which then applies it to one of the bottles 33being moved past it on the turret 2. The rotary motion of the pickupmembers 29 is imparted to them by a planetary gear train. Said pickupmembers are connected through a shaft 34 to a planet gear 35 whichcarries an upper set of rollers 36 and a lower set of rollers 37. Saidrollers are arrangedin a circle, each pair engaging an upper and a lowerinner groove 38 and 39, respectively, in a stationary cam member 40(FIG. 19).

A number of primary measures are adopted to prevent the various sourcesof noise in the drives for the various mechanisms from transmitting thenoisethrough the machine frame.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the drive pinion 10 of the drive 8 and 9 isprovided with a damping element 41 between the hub 42 and the outer part43 carrying the toothed ring. The damping element 41 is the soleconnecting member between the inner and outer parts 42 and 43. Facingannular grooves 44 of trapezoidal cross section are machined into thecylindrical inside of the outer part 43 and the cylindrical outside oftheinner part 42. Moreover, the edges are beveled. As is apparent fromthe drawing, the inside diameter is not constant in the circumferentialdirection. There are regions 45 of small radial width which make itpossible to maintain high dimensional accuracy in the concentricity oftheouter and inner parts 42 and 43, and regions 46 which are enlargedrelativethereto and produce interlocking in the circumferentialdirection. The grooves 44 and the beveled edges provide high axialrigidity and in conjunction with the sloping sides of the grooves giverise to a stressingof the two parts 42 and 43 by the damping elementwhich has the effect of centering them. This centering action is due tothe fact that in the axialdirection the regions of smaller insidediameter draw the regions of largerinside diameter against the slopingsides or the beveled edges, respectively, in the manner of adouble-headed rivet. The centering effectwould be preserved even if theregions of smaller inside diameter should become detached from theadjacent walls. This is the case not only in the axial direction but,because of the enlarged regions 46, also in the circumferentialdirection.

The construction of the gears 13 and 14 of the infeed and outfeedstarwheels 4 and 7, of the pinion 15 of the labeling station 6, of thetacho-generator pinion 18, and of the pinion 20 and the sprocket wheel22 is the same as that of the pinion 10 so far as the damping elements47 to 52 are concerned. As is apparent from the figures, the rolls 26are constructed similarly.

The support 27 in the embodiment according to FIGS. 4, 6 and 7 has theshape of a sleeve and is axially divided into two halves 53 and 54 whichare held together by a transversely extending threaded bolt 55. Thesupport 27 comprises at top and bottom a circular collar 56 and 57,respectively, with conical inner annular surfaces which serve for thetightening of the suppert 27 on the machine frame 1 and the cam member25 by the use of disks 58 and 59, respectively, which have correspondingconical outer surfaces. Moreover, the support 27 is dividedtransversely. The upper part 60 and the lower part 61 are connectedthrough an annular, disklike damping element 62. To permit interlockingof the upper and lowerparts 60 and 61, grooves 63 and 64 having atrapezoidal cross section are provided in the opposed end faces of theseparts. Said grooves 63 and 64 are intersected by a plurality of radialbores 65 and 66 which are filled with the material of the dampingelement 62. The edges of said bores and of the end faces of the twoparts 60 and 61 are outwardly beveled, as is apparent from the drawing.The material in the bores 65 and 66 and in the space between the endfaces of the two parts 60 and 61 is cast as one piece. The materiallodged in the bores 65 and 66 serves as a tie rod for the dampingelement 62, which constitutes the sole connection between the two parts60 and 61.

In the labeling station according to FIGS. 19 to 21, the cam member 40is secured to the housing of the labeling station 6, which forms a partof the machine frame 1 of the labeling machine, through acorrespondingly constructed annular damping element 67.

To produce the damping elements 41, 47 to 53, 62 and 67, the two partsto be joined are first positioned as desired relative to each other.Then thespace between them is filled with a castable material whichshrinks as it passes to the resilient state. In conjunction with thebeveled surfaces atvarious points in the space between the two parts,the shrinkage of said material causes the wedgelike or conical portionof the castable material to pull up against said beveled surfaces as thematerial solidifies, thus producing a stress which assures freedom frombacklash or play and maximumprecision even if the material should liftoff the parallel wall surfaces. While in concentrically superposed partsthe stress is produced in the axial direction, in the case of parts tobe joined by their end faces it is in a direction normal to said endfaces.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7, the material is drawn into thegrooves 63 and 64, with the material poured into the bores 65 and 66acting as a tie rod.

Since in this labeling machine the sources of noise are isolated fromthe machine frame through primary measures, the amount of noisegenerated hereis considerably less than what it is in conventionallabeling machines lacking such measures, and this is accomplished at afraction of the expense secondary measures would entail. These primarymeasures offer the further advantage that they extend the service lifeof the drives since tolerances are balanced out and the resilientdamping elements also cushion shocks in starting and stopping themachine.

It will be appreciated that the instant specification and claims are setforth by way of illustration and not of limitation, and that variouschanges and modifications may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a labeling machine comprising a machine frame,a turret in said frame, a concentrically disposed gear carried by saidturret for rotation of said turret, a plurality of turntables carried bysaid turret, a drive mounted in the machine frame, a pinion driven bysaid drive and driving said concentrically disposed gear and turret, aninfeed starwheel and an outfeed starwheel each meshing with theconcentrically disposed gear, and a labeling station driven by a pinionmeshing with the turret gear, the improvement which comprises providingeach gear of the infeed and outfeed starwheels, of each pinion of thedrive and of the labeling station, and any further pinions meshing withthe gear of the turret and driving, in synchronism with the turret,other mechanisms mounted in the machine frame, with a hub, a toothedring and a polyurethane elastomer damping element between each hub andtoothed ring so as to isolate said hub and said toothed ring from eachother with respect to solid-borne sound, each toothed ring and hubhaving beveled regions bounding the space between them, each dampingelement having been formed by temporarily surrounding the space with acollar to form a closed space, casting into said space apolyurethane-forming material which sets to an elastomer with shrinkage,allowing the material to set so that in shrinking the elastomer in atleast one point is drawn against the beveled regions so as to centeritself in the manner of a chucking cone, thereby constituting thedamping connection, and removing the temporary collar.
 2. A labelingmachine according to claim 1, including cam-controlled turntables, eachhaving a lever arm through which it engages a groove in a stationary cammember, said cam being carried by supports provided with dampingelements which isolate the part of the support fixed to the machineframe and the part of the support secured to the cam from each otherwith respect to solid-borne sound, and the lever arm being guided in thecam groove through a roller or a pair of rollers which, between theirhubs and their shells, are provided with a damping element to isolatehub and shell from each other with respect to solid-borne sound.
 3. Alabeling machine according to claim 2, wherein the damping elementdisposed between the two support parts and the machine frame constitutesthe sole connection between the supports parts and the machine frame. 4.A labeling machine according to claim 1, wherein the labeling stationincludes pickup members mounted on a carrier driven by a pinion, thepickup members through a lever arm fitted with a roller or with rollersfollowing a groove in a stationary cam member or mesh, through a planetgear, with the teeth of a stationary toothed member, the member providedwith the groove or the teeth being mounted on the machine frame solelyby means of a damping element which isolates said member and the machineframe from each other with respect to solid-borne sound.
 5. A labelingmachine according to claim 4, wherein the damping element disposedbetween the member provided with a toothed ring or a cam groove and themachine frame constitutes the sole connection between the member and themachine frame.
 6. A labeling machine according to claim 1, including aspacer worm comprising a drive shaft mounted in the machine frame andcarrying a pinion or a sprocket wheel that is driven by a pinion meshingwith the turret gear, said first pinion or sprocket wheel being providedbetween its hub and its toothed ring or sprocket ring with a dampingelement to isolate said parts from each other with respect tosolid-borne sound.
 7. A labeling machine according to claim 1, whereinthe damping element in the gears, pinions, sprocket wheels and rollersis in the form of a sleeve which constitutes the sole connection betweenhub and toothed ring, sprocket ring or shell.
 8. A labeling machineaccording to claim 1, wherein annular grooves for the damping elementare provided in the facing end surfaces of the parts to be joinedtogether.